The present invention relates to a method and to an arrangement of assigning an information-category and a priority of exposure for spots or blocks of information for controlling and coordinating display devices in a digital information system for displaying information on at least one display device through the medium of at least one display for each said device, said information being displayed in places that are accessible to and/or frequented by the general public. In one particular aspect, the invention is applied to control display devices for displaying information directed towards people in such places as main railway stations, subway stations, airport waiting lounges, cinemas, private homes, etc.
From the Swedish patent publication SE-C2-507-473, and from the International Publication WO 97/41546, hereby incorporated by reference, both by the same applicants as for the present invention, a flexible system is known in which external information mediators are able to dynamically control in real time the transmission of display information to a larger public in different places situated at any chosen distance apart through display devices which project information onto displays intended therefor.
One object of the known system is to enable pictures, images, messages and announcements to be configured in accordance with modern digital technology, therewith providing rapid communication. A further object of it is to enable a picture, image or other information to be changed in practice as often as is desired, in real time, therewith providing direct and immediate communication, and to enable similar or specific information to be displayed in places that are mutually far apart and to enable message information to be alternated with advertising spots, for instance.
According to one aspect, the known system relates to a method of coordinating and controlling display devices in a digital information system for displaying information on a display device through the medium of a projector, whereby the information being displayed in places that are generally available to and frequented by the general public.
Information display subscribers are connected to a computerized control center via computer and telecommunication interfaces for all-day-round transmission of information. The control center has a communication interface against computerized devices situated in connection with said places for display device coordination and control.
The control center is able to create and update a display/play/exposure list in real time with control instruction fields via booking information for display dynamically in time from mediators having drive routine means which are connected to the subscription and which are transparent for the transmission of information to the drive routine means of the control center for transmission of information in the system.
A display list includes control instructions, which coordinate and control the projectors concerned with regard to what shall be displayed, when it shall be displayed, where it shall be displayed and for how long it shall be displayed, and causes projectors, independently of other projectors, to receive the same or different information for display in accordance with the display list.
An administrator of the digital information system is able to update the display list with desired information at any time whatsoever, wherein the dynamic booking can be changed or delayed.
The projector may also interrupt the display of information when the allocated display devices, or the projector, are visually obstructed in said public place.
In one embodiment, the exposure list may include reserved instruction fields for updating with control instructions via the mediator interface, wherein the control instructions can be placed in a waiting line, or queue, when the exposure list lacks instruction updating fields at that moment in time.
The known system also relates to an arrangement of apparatus for carrying out the aforesaid method, said apparatus including the aforesaid devices and an exposure handler which creates the exposure list.
Prior art, prior to the Swedish patent publication SE-C2-507-473 and the International Publication WO 97/41546, did not consider or propose the use of a display or play or exposure list. Hence, such prior art displays blocks of different information which, for example, are of the length of one (1) hour which are principal repeated each hour. If new information is to be displayed the block of information has to be revised, which can be accomplished in many different ways, not one of them sufficiently disclosed through prior art. The prior art systems are very time consuming in introducing new blocks of information and do not at all have the inherit dynamic capacity introduced by a display list for a possible 24-hour cyclic display at various time periods. Also, such a display list makes it impossible to repeatedly re-transmit blocks of information.
A drawback and problem related to the known system described in said patent and application, respectively, is that the play list is unevenly used for displaying ordered spots/blocks of information from mediators. If, for example, a projector interrupts the display of information when the allocated display devices, or the projector, are visually obstructed in said public place, for example, by an incoming train, spots/blocks of that piece of information should be displayed at another suitable time period according to the display/play/exposure list. This is not an easy task to accomplish in order to implement fairness and other parameters controlling the willingness of mediators to use such a system.
There are more events to even out at, for example, a subway station such as failing projectors/cameras/digital displays, emergency messages shown on displays, time table displays, etc.
Therefore, effective methods or schemes and arrangements are needed to solve problems related to the above.
It is an aspect of the present invention to solve problems related to assigning an information-category and a priority of exposure for spots or blocks of information for controlling and coordinating display devices in a digital information system controlled or partly controlled by a display or play or exposure list, or the like, in accordance with the attached independent claims and embodiments of the present invention as set forth through the attached dependent claims.
In order to accomplish the aforesaid, the present invention sets forth a method of assigning an information-category and a priority of exposure for spots or blocks of information in a digital information system. The method comprising coordinating and controlling of display devices for exposing information on at least one display device through the medium of at least one display device, wherein the information is displayed in places accessible to and frequented by the general public or on television. Subscribing information mediators are connected to a computerized control center via interfaces for data and telecommunication for round-the clock transmission of information. The control center has communication interfaces against computerized devices situated in connection with said places for coordinating and controlling projectors/cameras/digital displays. Said control center is able to create and update an exposure list in real time with control instruction fields via dynamic booking of information in time for exposure from mediators.
Mediators having drive routine means connected to the subscription, which may be transparent for transmission of information with the drive routine means of the control center for transmission of information in the system via interfaces. The exposure list with control instructions coordinates and controls the display devices with regard to what shall be exposed, when it shall be exposed, where it shall be exposed and for how long it shall be exposed, and enables each display device to be controlled. This can be achieved independently of the other display devices, to receive the same or different information in accordance with the exposure list for exposure of respective display devices through the computerized devices.
This is accomplished by determining how many times particular information is to be exposed during a specific time period, e.g. for one day, for a week, etc., when booked, whereby single spots or blocks of information are assigned a specific information-category and a priority for exposure. The priority decrements a specific unit of priority for each exposure, displaying said information according to the assigned priority, then exposure interruption due to visual inaccessibility of information by viewers is evened out during said specific time period for single spot or block of information.
An embodiment of the present invention provides an exposure list divided into a plurality of time slots. Each time slot can belong to a specific category of information.
One embodiment of the present invention requires that information assigned a specific information-category and is exposed with information from at least one different information-category between the exposures. Said specific information-category can be given a specific code for placement in the exposure list.
Yet another embodiment includes priority sequencing which is equal for every new information entry into the system.
A further embodiment includes priority sequencing which decrements with the priority number divided by all the entries of a specific information spot or block and preferably rounded or truncated if the division is an infinite decimal figure.
A still further embodiment requires said single information spot or block with the highest priority level to be exposed, and that information spots or blocks which priority has reached the level of no priority are abandoned or dropped from exposure.
Another embodiment comprises information spots or blocks which are exposed sequentially in series if they have the same priority.
Yet another embodiment includes information spots or blocks having higher priority than zero, or the like, in the same information-category and a system choice information is played between each information of the same category.
In addition the present invention comprises an arrangement for the assigning of an information-category and a priority of exposure for spots or blocks of information in a digital information system in accordance with the above-described system further comprising:
determining means calculating how many times an information is to be exposed during a specific time period when booked;
category assigning means, whereby single spots or blocks of information are assigned a specific information-category;
priority assigning means for priority of exposure for an information;
computing means for decrement of priority a specific unit of priority for each exposure, displaying said information according to assigned priority; and
thus enabling that exposure interruption due to visual inaccessibility for information viewers is evened out during said specific time period for a single spot or block of information.
Information assigned a specific information-category in one embodiment is exposed through the system with at least one different information-category between themselves.
Said specific information category is given a specific code for placement in the exposure list by said category assigning means in one embodiment.
The priority is equal for every new information entry into the system in one embodiment.
In one embodiment, the priority decrements with the priority figure divided by all the entries of a specific information spot or block and preferably truncated if the division results in an infinite decimal figure through said computing means.
An embodiment of the present invention provides an exposure list divided into a plurality of time slots. Each time slot can belong to a specific category of information.
A single information spot or block with the highest priority level is exposed, and information spots or blocks which priority has reached a level of no priority are abandoned or dropped from exposure by the system in another embodiment of the invention.
Information spots or blocks are exposed sequentially in series by the system if they have the same priority in one embodiment of the arrangement.
In yet another embodiment, said information spots or blocks having higher priority than zero, or the like, in the same information-category, a system choice information is exposed by the system between each information of the same category.